in what situation is it worth it to buy a strimmer? i have always done this by hand but it is starting to wear my back out, i have about 20 metres i would say of bedding in my garden, would this be worth a strimmer? is the strimmer multifunctional? i dont think i really know much about them to be honest... any pros about to fill me in?

i have since been searching the net for strimmer related sites... i have had a very thorough read of the wikipedia page here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_trimmer (i would live my life by wikipedia if i could) and i have therefore decided that i need a strimmer! i am almost sure that i will use it enough to justify the costs (but would still like a little reassurance from you guys on that one!) speaking of costs, ive looked online: http://www.twenga.co.uk/dir-Garden-DIY,Gardening-tools,Strimmer and they dont look too bad, is there anything that i need to be looking out for? is there a particular brand that anyone would recommend? even though i have managed to make a decision on my own to buy one, i would still like a little bit of hand holding on the buying process if possible please?!

The two models I have suggested can be used for strimming, the Flymo can also be used for edging as you would with a pair of edging shears. The more expensive models are petrol driven so you don't have the restrictions that a cable brings.
It's really all about what you want to use it for, if it's just basic strimming a 20m length stick with the one of the two models I have suggested or similar. If you are edging the bedding that you mentioned you would be better off with the Flymo because it can be used for both edging and strimming.

lovely, thank you so much for that, really appreciate your help, i think that wouldve taken me years to get to the bottom of by searching the web, thanks, il let you know how i get on with it once im using it in the garden!